On We Go
by dimlylithalls
Summary: This is a story following that of the RPG Game, "Ib". I do not own the characters of Garry or Ib. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Intro

~It always seemed so strange how a lush, green landscape could transform into a grayish, cement jungle in the blink of an eye. The trees grew into far more geometric wooden poles with wire strung along the tops. The expanses of flourishing grass faded into cracked expanses of sidewalk and street. The open woods and bodies of water closed off into lonely and foreboding office buildings.

Garry always despised the manmade world and all of its folly. He resented the billboards that sang out to him like sirens- trying to call him to his demise. He hated the smell of regret and human brokenness that wafted from the putrid manholes and gutters. He considered himself an utter misanthrope, but he was not completely discontent with such a harsh term.

He glanced through his window at the passing Hell, forming an involuntary movement of his mouth to the side which caused a hallowed space below his cheekbone. He simply turned up the volume of his radio and continued on through a yellow traffic light.

He felt the presence of the small red rose he had purchased in the passenger seat next to him. He couldn't help but smile when he thought of the young lady who would soon replace it.

It had been 7 years since the wild incident at the Guertena exhibit. Ever since then, Garry and she were inseparable. He recalled their very first meeting at the French bakery the weekend after their mishap.

_He shouldn't call it a 'mishap'_, he thought. _After all, I know her now because of that._

He shook with laughter as he flipped through his memories with her. Her crimson eyes that shone like rubies when she smiled, her lovely laugh that formed a melodious harmony with his own, her constant curiosity and fascination with all there was, her… well, everything.

He only recently admitted his profound love for her a few months ago (to himself, of course). He noticed her in a new light, rather than as his younger companion who he cared for in a different way.

He let a melancholy sigh escape as he noted, _I know she doesn't feel the same way._

She was always the same with him- now and 7 years ago. There was no implication that she allowed an awkwardness derive from her romantic feelings for him as he sometimes did. She would still kiss his cheek in a casual way that would send his heart soaring, but she never noticed.

_But that's okay,_ he assured himself. _She's happy._

~ It was Friday, her favorite day of the week. Garry would soon be here and they would both have the rest of the day to themselves. It became a tradition of theirs a year after they were warped into the different dimension together. It took a while for her parents to get used to Garry and the idea of her spending time with him alone. But after they divorced when she was 13, it didn't matter as much whether or not she saw Garry without supervision. She put her chin on her hands and thought about the whole thing. Garry would never hurt her; in fact, he would do the complete opposite. He wouldn't let anything hurt her.

Today had been pretty uneventful; excluding the art show she presented her work in the last half of the school day. She received many compliments on her paintings of creatures everyone else thought to be fictional. None of their words meant anything to her. They did not know that such things could be real. Many tried to be scrupulous in their examinations of her work and find deeper meanings as to what they may present. An artist from the local modern art museum asked if the pale, detached mannequin head represented a manic state. She only replied with a resigned "no". Only Garry understood. Being an art teacher himself, Garry had far more meaningful feedback and thoughts on her work.

Garry… the one she'd been feeling a bit confused about. She found herself drawing sketches of the familiar man or a blue rose on her notebooks. He also occupied most of her thoughts throughout the school days… No. She respected and loved him as a friend; A friend who had a very special bond with her.

She sat patiently on the bench in front of her school while girls and boys were still fluttering around like butterflies in their brightly colored clothing. Today was the first day of spring break and it was the warmest weather they'd had since the official first day of spring. The sun melted the months of incessant cold from the town of Fairfield, Connecticut. Even then, she still found it hard to appreciate such a day in the midst of the grey, ugly constructed area. That was something she and Garry had in common; they both hated the densely populated parts of Fairfield.

The usual group of girls began swarming at an all too familiar distance from her. She rolled her eyes at their blatant and immature motives. They all prepped their hair and giggled as they awaited _him_. The black Volkswagen pulled up along the curb. She saw them all wait on their tippy toes. Their excitement sickened her. The familiar violet hair rose from the driver's side of the car and soon enough, there stood Garry on the passenger's side, waiting for her.

A wide grin manifested on her face as she went to greet him, she could feel their eyes stab like daggers at her back in jealousy.

"Ib!" he opened his arms.

They embraced. She took in a breath of his unique scent and felt a heat rise in her face. She pulled away and tried breathing slowly to return her cheeks to their natural paleness.

He looked down at her with an inquiring eye, "I didn't know you had to dress up for your show. You look lovely!" he added with a sarcastic grin? She couldn't tell.

"Yeah, I think I look like a doily, but I like it" she remarked looking down at the white lace dress. She looked him over; a rich cobalt button down with black trousers. Garry was fond of darker colors even in the warmer months.

Garry scratched the back of his neck, "nah, it suits you." A smile danced on his lips. "How did it go, though?"

"Eh, fine." She turned away from his gentle stare, afraid she may openly admit she heard nothing but crap from everyone today.

"You can tell me later", he leaned down and whispered in her ear. The 1 foot gap in height was far easier for intimate talking compared to the 3 foot gap 7 years ago.

"Ready to go?" he nodded towards the car.

"Yes" her red eyes widened with delight.

she slid into the passengers seat, "What's this?" Ib inquired as she held the red rose to her nose.

"That's for you, congrats on the show." He grinned, pleased.

"That's so sweet! Thanks, Garry." She leaned over and pecked his cheek.

A bit disoriented from the sudden warmth rising in his pit, Garry reversed with a jolt, nearly hitting the Toyota in back of him. He felt himself turning a scarlet from embarrassment.

"Sorry, Ib!" You're not hurt, are you?!" he put his hand on her shoulder.

A laughing Ib wiped at her disgruntled hair as she exclaimed, "That was rad, man!"

Garry laughed with relief.

They drove on while blasting 80's tunes. The grey bloomed into green and the world outside their windows became beautiful once again.

"How were your classes?" Ib yelled above the music.

"Well, half of them asked me to prom." Garry attempted to pose a distraught face, but remembering the almost comic amount of proposals he received that day, he could not.

Ib laughed wildly at this. "That's the burden of being hot, Gar!"

They pulled up to the front window of the corner bakery. It always looked better inside, but even so, the cracking bricks brought a feeling of comfort and happiness.

~The usual pair appeared from the Volkswagen outside the café. Paul checked his watch, 3:00 sharp. He could always rely on Ib and Garry to arrive at the same time every Friday.

"Lilah! Can you get Ib and Garry's usual?" Paul called to the back kitchen.

He looked down at the sleeping retriever behind the counter.

"Hey Darcy, Ib's here." he sang to the dog. Its ears perked up and its tail began to thud on the hardwood floor.

At the sound of the front bell, Darcy bolted to the door.

Ib crouched down and gathered her hands with the retriever's face, exclaiming, "Darcy! Hello, good girl!"

Garry knelt down as well and got his share of Darcy's sloppy kisses.

"Hey Paul!" they both called as they approached the counter, Darcy in tow.

"How's everything with you guys?" he grabbed two sheets of parchment paper.

Garry was about to answer when Paul interjected, "man, Garry, you look like Hell. Did you run a marathon or something?" a joking grin spread across his face.

"No, just a REALLY tough day at work today."

"Tell Paul about your students!" Ib shouted from an invisible view. Paul stretched over the counter and saw Ib rubbing Darcy's stomach. Paul glanced at his marriage ring. He and his wife recently had a little girl. Paul hoped that their little Gracie would be a lot like Ib when she grew to be 16.

Garry leaned against a column beside the pastry display case. "All of my female, including some male students, asked me to prom." He let out a small chuckle.

Paul found this quite amusing and let out a low, billowy snort. "I can see how that can be exhausting. Did you say yes to any of them?" he shot a sardonically quizzical look at Garry.

"If by 'yes' you mean an impartial nod of the head, then yes." Garry shrugged.

Paul grabbed the typical pink and purple macaroons and set them aside on a tray. Ib hopped up from the ground and rested her elbows beside the cash register.

"You look nice, miss Ib. It's different from the standard uniform. What's the occasion?" Paul inquired.

"Art show."

"How'd that go?"

A look of contemplation twisted her face, "you, know. It wasn't too special or anything."

Paul could tell something disappointed little Ib, but he wasn't inclined to upset her any further.

At this point Lilah came out with a mug of earl grey and a mug of dark espresso. Paul set the drinks on the tray as Ib pulled a ten dollar bill out of her shoe.

"It's my turn this week" Garry smiled playfully at Ib.

"No, you paid last week!" her brow furrowed as she giggled.

Paul took the bill and added, "Thanks, Ib, for your… shoe money."

Ib and Garry enjoyed their macaroons on the patio out back with Darcy beneath the table, chewing a bone Ib had given her.

"So, are you ready to talk about today?" Garry's inciting eyes peered up from his espresso.

She started reluctantly, "Everyone was just telling me nonsense about how my art was so deep and meaningful. I guess with my other series that would be appropriate to say, but my recent paintings were mostly formal and made of memories. Sometimes I wish I could just tell people all about our experience without sounding insane." Ib's voice quivered.

"_ I_ understand. Listen: when you can get your paintings back, I'd be more than happy to talk completely about form with you." He gave a reassuring smirk.

"Yeah, it's pretty lucky you're an art teacher. Thanks." Ib took a sip of her tea.

They headed out of the café with enthusiastic farewells to Paul and Darcy.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Garry was barely audible above the music and the open windows.

"Let's go see that garden exhibit at the Rodin." Ib shouted back.

~The day had peaked and the garden was immersed in a golden glow. In the labyrinth of green and newly planted flowers, colorfully abstract paintings occupied every corner. Garry could see the inner 9 year old Ib come out for the day. She pranced ahead bending down to observe every lilac, daisy, lily, and poppy in sight. Garry watched the childish Ib with delight. He was worried that the Guertena Gallery had ruined her prime years. Now seeing Ib float every which way in random patterns made his fear reconciled.

Lost in his thoughts, he found himself standing alone in a high walled section of the maze. The shrubbery was completely opaque that even the sunlight seemed dulled in the small space. He continued on through the shrouded passages, every turn grew darker. He carried on this way for 3 more turns when he noticed a very small splotch of color on the ground. He looked closer… a red rose petal?

He followed the trail of petals that continued on farther into the maze. The longer the trail lead, the faster Garry sprinted in desperation to find the source.

With a bone-chilling dread, Garry rounded what he knew to be the last and final turn.

There on the ground lay Ib.

A stark rose stem was distanced 3 inches from the cold, white, and lifeless fingers.

Garry collapsed and dragged himself to little, crumpled Ib.

Tears and a silent panic threatened to rip his body to pieces. He slowly reached his trembling hand toward her limp and lifeless one. As he neared her chalky fingers, the horrific corpse vanished into the darkness.

Garry looked around wild-eyed as a stinging and blurry film enveloped his eyes.

"Ib!" he cried out, frantically jumping to his feet.

"Garry?!" A distant alarmed yell sounded not far off.

His mind was playing tricks; that was Ib's voice. He just saw her- dead. Not knowing how to react to this sudden chaotic din, He dropped to his knees and gripped his forehead with both his hands.

He could see a blurry white entity dash toward him. It sounded like her, calling his name, "Garry! Garry!" It taunted him. Ib was gone. This bane of mockery only existed to jeer at him. Now frantic, the creature began to claw at his hands trying to disarm his protection. He was determined to remain mainstay.

~WHAT WAS GOING ON?! Ib hysterically called Garry's name, but it seemed something else occupied his body. He was an entirely different character. He crouched there, motionless and unrelenting to Ib's attempts to free his face from his hands. She remembered the trance Garry was in when she found him in a room with the rabbit statues. However, this was different. He wasn't talking to an invisible companion. He was locked away somewhere else, by himself.

Ib could taste the salty tears running down to her mouth as she kept screaming his name. She yelled desperately for help, but no one could hear her in the dense labyrinth.

After many attempts to pry Garry's clutching fingers away, including a few slaps to his armored face, Ib fell back in defeat.

She sat, scrambled, beside the statue of Garry and sobbed with bitter agony, "Garry! Where are you?! What do I need to do to get you back?!"

~Why was this demon still here? Although it tore Garry apart to hear its synthetic use of Ib's voice to call out to him, he would not give in. It kept going on and on with nothing but his name and empty coaxes. There was a small hiatus of silence when the thing just sat there and repeatedly sniffled.

It started, "Garry, do you remember when I was younger and I would visit you whenever I had nightmares about the museum? And you eventually got a box of lemon candies for me and you called it "Ib's box"? The voice faltered a bit. "And… and every time I came to you, we would sit on your couch and watch a film and eat those candies together?" "Well, even though I don't run to you anymore after a nightmare, I still have them… and I don't think I could manage without you there to understand." The voice broke into sobs.

Nice try… wait, how would it know about that? It couldn't possibly… The tips of his fingers began to thaw. Maybe, this was Ib and the corpse he saw was the fake. Slowly, he released his grip and examined the face through his fingers. Her eyes were swollen with tears. She quickly rubbed at her burning cheeks and let out an exasperated, "GARRY!"

She threw herself around Garry, sending him to the ground. He held her tightly, still dubious of her actuality.

They stumbled back through the labyrinth, each layer of darkness peeling away as they went. Garry was still dazed as Ib led him toward the light. She clasped his waist trying to support his unstable gait.

Not a word was spoken between them. Both were content with silence.

They made it out into the parking lot beside the black car when Garry finally stood on his own. He bent down and placed his hands on his knees. Ib stood patiently beside him, softly rubbing his back.

"Ib? I'm sorry I scared you. I'm alright now" his pale face faked a reassuring smile.

"It's fine. I'm just glad you're back, but… what happened?" she hesitated.

He brought his height down to hers. He hated standing above her anytime they talked. They were both equals and he never wished to make Ib feel incompetent even if that meant bending his knees at an awkward angle.

"I had a horrific vision." He did not want to tell the rest.

"Did I die, Garry?" Ib's inciting crimson eyes beckoned for the truth.

With a very reluctant inhale, Garry grumbled a "yes."

~She was no fool. Sometimes she wished Garry would stop trying to protect her from his fears about her dying. It wouldn't actually hurt her to hear it. She had dreams all the time of her or Garry meeting either's demise, it wasn't anything new to her.

"You can tell me this, you know. It's not like I'm going to die for real if you tell me." Her brow furrowed as she told Garry truthfully.

"You're right. No more secrets." His sapphire eyes shone with brilliance.


	2. Chapter 2: time

~They left the garden once Garry could function completely. There wasn't an uncomfortable silence between the two from their experience in the garden, in fact they both lively described different things they would do if they could be any aquatic animal for a day.

Moments like these were Garry's favorite because it was fool-proof evidence that they shared an extraordinary understanding. Ib was special in that she wasn't one to dwell on the past. She would learn from events and she wouldn't forget them entirely, but she would not let sour occasions darken her blue skies. Garry knew fully well that if anyone else had been in her position, there would be nothing but an oppressive stillness on the car ride home.

Because it was the first exceptional day of spring, Garry decided to surprise his compassionate and loving friend.

~ _A right turn? But his apartment's the other way… Where are we going?_ Ib pondered as she glimpsed behind to see the vanishing intersection.

She simply shrugged her shoulders and returned to facing forward.

It was gorgeous out. As they wound through the canopied road, Ib watched in awe as the blooming leaves filtered the sunlight and became a natural stained glass. The shifting light waltzed atop the dashboard, sending Ib into a trance. A warm breeze caressed her cheek as her eyelids fluttered. The fast paced tempo of "lonely boy" melted into the honey like murmur of Laura Marling. Eventually the savory notes faded to an inaudible whisper. The last Ib heard before drifting into the darkness was an acquiescent, "I whisper that I love this man, now and for forever."

….

"Rise and shine, sleepy head."

Ib felt a tender nudge on her shoulder. Her eyes sluggishly flickered open to find a pair of gleaming cerulean ones smiling at her.

He was standing outside the opened passenger door, letting the smell of salt waft through. She could make out the distinct cry of gulls harmonizing with the lulls of the curling, crashing waves.

_Ah, he brought me to the beach._ She beamed, stretching her stale limbs.

"Surprise! It's too nice out to be locked up in my stuffy apartment." His violet hair gleamed into silver from the sun behind him.

"hah, I guess you're right. Well done." Ib chuckled as she swung her legs out of the car.

~The shore was speckled with a few figures, but it was mostly scarce of humans. The deep blue of the sea barely differentiated from the rich azure of the sky. Only the movement of the bobbing waves on the horizon swayed the line between the two.

Garry and Ib raced over the scorching sand to reach the rejuvenating shock of the icy Long Island Sound. He held his shoes in his hand as he rolled his pant legs to his mid-calf, not caring too much about the welfare of his trousers. He looked over at Ib: she threw her shoes to the wind way back on the beach, obviously enjoying the water too much to mind.

Garry did the same and tossed his shoes back onto the sand by the high tide line of seaweed and shells. He undid the top button of the shirt, allowing the sea breeze to kiss his collarbone. He pushed his previously rolled sleeves up past his elbow and made his way over to Ib.

She was crouched in a shallow tide pool, looking intently at its inhabitants. She heard Garry's softened footsteps upon the wet sand and called to him, "There are so many hermit crabs!... WOAH, that one's HUGE!"

He squatted beside her and looked where her finger pointed. A crusty hermit crab the size of his fist sat motionless by a patch of snails. Its antennae swayed in the calm current. Its claws grew algae as did one of its disproportionate eyes- clouded over with a white fog. It seemed almost primal with its rusty legs and ancient shell.

"That hermit crab better be careful if it doesn't want to get eaten." Ib spoke aloud.

"yeah, what a beaut." Garry agreed.

They enjoyed the rest of the day until the sun gave a last farewell before diminishing beyond the blue of the sea. The violet and red of dusk embraced them both in the implausible light. With sun kissed faces and whisked hair, Garry and Ib returned to the desolate parking lot.

-Time is restless and mostly unforgiving, but on days such as these, Garry and Ib become invulnerable to any disembodied force as prevailing as time. Human limits lose all relevancies in the presence true bliss. -


	3. Chapter 3: Night Terror

~The headlights revealed the chipping garage door as Garry pulled up to Ib's Father's house. He always dreaded the moment when she left the protection of his car.

When Ib's parents divorced 3 years ago, Nathan Flynn, Ib's disgusting excuse for a Father, picked up the nasty habit of drinking. Granted, Garry too had an addiction, specifically to cigarettes in the past, but at least he didn't lose his dignity and humanity from a 'cancer stick'. Although Ib assured Garry that her Father was no violent drunk, he had horrible spells of anxiety whenever she disappeared into the house.

His knuckles whitened as he clenched the steering wheel, "Do you want me to walk you in?... er, just in case?"

"Again; I'm fine. He's probably asleep or something, anyway." She gave a half-hearted smile.

Ib reached over into the back seat and retrieved her torn and wearied backpack.

"You know, you could always stay at my place." He mentioned earnestly.

"I know. Thanks." She opened her door letting in a chilling gust; it had grown cold from the absence of the sun. "I'll call you tomorrow; I need help with a piece for the State Art competition." She grinned at him, now outside the car.

"Sure thing. I'll be waiting for that call", He gently teased.

She closed the door and went out of the beams of light.

Garry gave a discontent huff and slowly pulled out of the drive way.

~ "Dad?!" Ib yelled into the empty house that was cluttered with papers and empty cans.

_Where was the darn light switch… OW!_

Ib slipped on a half empty vodka bottle and slammed into the counter. She knelt on the ground, cradling her throbbing wrist when a darkened figure stumbled in from the study.

After fumbling to find the light switch, the flickering bulbs revealed Ib's father. His dress shirt was unkempt and wrinkled, buttons undone to the middle of his chest, with a stain of sweat tainting the otherwise white shirt. His pupils were glazed over with red rings encompassing the whites of his eyes. His hair disseminated in every way, creating a hectic nest on his clammy head.

He ungracefully smeared his blushing nose with his entire arm, holding a beer bottle in his hand.

"y-you're late, girly" he faltered a bit and gripped the door frame for support.

Ib slowly got to her feet, still holding her wrist, "It's only eight o'clock. I always come back at-"

"Don't you ever talk to me like an… uh, some idiot. I _know_ you're late. No more seeing that son of a bitch, Garry", He slurred- his eyes vicious.

Ib stared at him in disbelief, "Dad… How could you… how DARE you say that about Garry." She could feel angry tears rise in her eyes; adrenaline began rushing through her veins.

Nathan lurched forward, closing the space between them, "I say whatever the Hell I want to, and you, well, I think you need to learn a lesson!"

He seized Ib's injured wrist and began to wrench it, pulling Ib to his, appalling, alcohol ridden mouth. "You show your father respect" his horrid breath spewed on a struggling Ib.

"DAD! THAT HURTS!" She writhed in agony as his meaty fist threw her arm around as if she were a ragdoll.

"Good! This'll teach you, you little good for nothing b-"

Ib struck his tomato red nose with all her might. He drew back, bringing his sweaty hands to his face. She bolted away from her howling opponent, careful not to trip on any other trash. She reached the door she came in- IT WAS LOCKED. _HOW DID IT LOCK?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!_

She violently jostled the knob, whipping her head around to see a pair of bloodied hands mere inches from her terrified eyes. She dove out of the way, barely dodging the cumbersome man, wavering his arms in the empty air. She dashed to the other side of the pitch-black house and frantically felt for her door. She found the opening and whipped in, slammed the door and clumsily tampered with the lock. The clear click gave Ib an ephemeral sense of security as she lunged for an open bag.

"IB! YOU'VE DONE IT NOW! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU BETTER PRAY THERE'S A GOD IN HEAVEN!" Heavy thuds bombarded the door, and Ib's bones shook with every thump.

Her shaking fingers blindly stuffed everything within reach into her sagging bag. Once the hinges sounded as if they were about to give in, Ib made a frantic dash for her window. She scratched at the latches to the screen with the mad man still beating the door with his cruel body. Once the frame popped out, Ib scrambled through and fled from the wailing man furiously cursing at the now empty room.

She ran with all her might, while rubbing away the steamy tears. Her Dad was never an angry drunk.

Never.

…Until now.


	4. Chapter 4: Race

**whoa, okay. A lot of stuff went down last chapter. Here's some more**

~ "Why did I assign papers right before spring break?" Garry grumbled as he set another disappointment of an essay down on the couch. The kids at his school were bright, however, more so book-wise. Majority of them could not seem to develop a single creative or meaningful thought. He really only gave out essays to test his students in their growth as artists. Most of them failed at that, but he never wanted to give up and leave the next generation at a loss. That is partially why Garry became an art teacher. He wanted to guide young people into becoming intellectual thinkers outside the boundaries of school and memorization. He wanted to teach them how to feel and understand their realities- to explore and expand as humans. So far, he was a letdown.

He dropped the pile of papers with a sigh and sulked toward the kitchen.

The microwave clock read '11:38 p.m.'

It was too early to go to sleep, but too late to do anything but stay put in his apartment. He walked over to the cabinet beside the fridge and retrieved a pad of paper and a charcoal pencil. Leaning over the counter, he began to sketch an oval shape- sharper at the bottom, but soft. Next came the beginnings of eyes, hollow and curved up into downward crests. He filled in the pupils, imagining the charcoal was a deep and rich ruby shade. He was tedious with the details, making sure the drawing did justice to its inspiration.

With a darkened and dirty hand, Garry stepped back to review his progress. Two smiling eyes occupied the blank paper. What he would do to have those provoking eyes be real.

He was about to begin on the graceful nose when he heard a buzz from his living room.

He squinted at the clock: '12:26 a.m.' "Who is this fool?" Garry fumed, angered by the disruption.

He pressed the button, "yeah." He waited for a reply.

"Garry… buzz me in…" Ib's breathless voice rang loud and clear. She sounded as if she were choking on a cloud of dust.

Garry hysterically smashed the button for the door and rushed into the hallway. He was on the 5th floor of the apartment, but none of that mattered, he crashed down the stairwell- not wanting to waste a single second.

_Where?! Where?! I need to find her!_ He thought desperately. He extended his legs as far as he could, skipping complete staircases in single gliding strides.

He thrashed through the final door to the lobby, sweaty and disoriented.

No Ib.

_God Dammit! I missed her!_ He threw his palms to his sticky forehead.

He raced to a closing elevator, plowed in and nearly knocked the other passengers over.

The lone couple stared at the panting, drenched, and doubled over young man. He noticed their flagrant stares and straightened himself- these two were his fellow apartment goers.

"Hi folks, sorry… I was just going for a midnight jog… you, know. Doctor said I should get an hour of exercise a day." He gasped for breath and added an awkward grin at the end.

They simply stared wide-eyed at him, discreetly inching away.

_Whatever, I tried._ He thought bitterly to himself.

The doors finally opened to the 5th floor and Garry tumbled out, darting for his room. He rounded the corner to find Ib patiently waiting at his door. She turned around, shoulders lifting and falling, still out of breath. Garry paced over to her and took her in his soaking embrace, "Is everything ok?" he wheezed.

"No. My Dad… he's gone nuts." Ib exhaled.

"I'm sorry, Ib." He gazed at her with true empathy.

A wave of realization swept over his face, "He didn't hurt you, did he?" his voice cracked at the end.

"…no(she fibbed), I just hope he's better tomorrow, but, uh, does that offer to stay over still stand?" she gave a sheepish grin.

"Of course it does."

The two gasping and sweat-drenched friends entered room 598.


	5. Chapter 5: Hide

~ Ib traced her fingertips over the purpling mark forming on her porcelain wrist. She could make out the lines of her father's grip. Granted, she knew her fall was the main cause of the ugly splotch, but the protruding evidence was the enormous prints of his bulbous fingers. She would be sure to hide that from Garry.

She stood up from her seat on the side of the bathtub, tightening her towel around herself. The shower itself was refreshing. She had turned the tap to the colder side, attempting to cool her body from her strenuous escape. The precise streams of the shower head scraped away her sweat and the salty grime of the ocean.

Presently, she wiped the steamy mirror down, revealing her flushed face with faded red eyes. She hated looking at herself. Her blood-red irises were always unsettling to see. She knelt down and dug through her dampened bag. The few contents included: a t-shirt, a sundress, a pair of dirty tights, and a crumpled pair of jeans.

_Wow, this is not okay. _Ib pursed her lips. _I'll have to make do._

Ib pulled the wrinkled jeans onto her sticky legs, _this feels awful._ She crinkled her nose.

She threw on the t-shirt and strategized a way to hide her darkening bruise.

Nothing she planned in her head seemed to succeed. She saw no other choice…

She inched the bathroom door open and slipped into the small hallway. She could see the light of the television reflect off of Garry, who was lounging on the sofa. She firmly clasped both hands behind her back, securing her bad wrist.

"Hey, Gar? Do you have a long-sleeve shirt I could borrow?" she crept quietly into sight.

His eyes opened with shock, "wow, you really didn't have time to pack, I guess." _You have __**no**__ idea._ Ib mused to herself.

"Yeah, I'll just have to find something that'll fit you. You know, you should eat more… You were always pretty skinny as a kid, too though." He hopped up from the couch.

They squeezed into Garry's tiny walk-in closet. He filed through the various dark-toned clothes he owned, stopping at a murky olive shirt. "This should do!" He beamed. Ib was careful not to reveal her bruise as she took the long-sleeve from Garry.

He turned back to his clothes, "Now for some sweat pants."

"I'm fine with these", Ib looked down at her dirty jeans.

She lifted her eyes to see Garry's raised eyebrows and pressed lips. There was a short pause.

"ummm… no." Garry turned back to looking.

He finally dug out a pair of black sweatpants that seemed small enough for Ib.

"Thanks, man." she smiled as she took the pants and shirt into the bathroom.

…..

She wasn't exactly _swimming_ in the clothes, but they were a bit baggier than just "loose fitting". When she walked out for the second time, Garry took a minute to absorb the sight in front of him and began to chortle.

"Wow, you **really** need some cake." He wiped content tears from his eyes.

Ib joined in his laughter and plopped down next to him. The extremely long sleeves disguised her arm perfectly.

"So, time for the serious part." Garry turned the television off.

"What happened?" All humor was gone from his eyes.

"Well, I came home and my Dad got mad at me because he thought I was late. Of course he was drunk out of his wits, and I talked back at him." She played with her hands nervously. "Then he told me to get out, so I did."

"Did this happen a few hours after I dropped you off? I mean, you got here at what? 12:50 or so?"

She rubbed the back of her neck, "No, I left almost directly after you did. I just ran to Natalie's house before I came here. When I got there, the lights were out and I remembered she was in Florida. So then I came here."

"Wait-", Garry recalled the time he drove to the other side of town to get Ib from her friend's place.

"Nat lives at the line between Stratford and Fairfield, right?" His eyes widened.

"Yeah, that's why it took me so long to get here."

"You had to run all the way back here?!" He breathed in disbelief. Garry lived on the far west side of Fairfield- Ib went far East and ran back.

"Well, I didn't have anywhere else to go." She shrugged.

"You should have called me! That's a five hour walk! God… I can't believe you came here alone… AT NIGHT!"

She had no time. She needed to get out of that house. Plus, she realized she didn't have her cell phone halfway to Garry's.

"I know, I guess I forgot." She tried to cover with a grin.

Garry squeezed the bridge of his nose, "At least, you got here safe. Just… no more wandering around when it's dark- ESPESCIALLY not alone."

"You got it Captain!" Ib gave a sarcastic salute.

She lowered her head onto the pillow next to her and made sure her sleeve was in place. Her eyes were sore from crying and sustaining the burning wind of her wild voyage. She let out a long puff and closed her eyes.

Only the faint sound of the wall clock occupied the quiet apartment.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

….

An airy, "Goodnight, Ib", then; all sound retreated into a hazy blackness.


	6. Chapter 6: Seek

_~There: by a mildewed window, stood a dark being. His head was slightly tilted to where his features were barely visible. The garish light of the outside world glinted off his elegant nose. His eyes were crowded with shadows, deepening the precise wrinkles enveloping his clear emerald irises- sparked with violent flames. His tousled auburn hair was strewn atop his head, adding to the disguise of his ambiguous aura. _

_He remained in this position, simply staring at the intruder of this bizarre place-Right into her soul. He gracefully lifted his arm- not in a threatening manner. With lanky, cryptic fingers, he reached out to her; palm facing upward- offering her his hand._

_"Come, Ib." A deep, curling, tumbling, whisper came from the shrouded entity._

_The bodiless mind of Ib drew toward the outstretched hand._

_Inching_

_Inching_

_Inching…_

_….._

Ib bolted upright. Her chest was heaving from her heavy breathes.

It took her a moment to register where she was. She scanned the familiar, yet strange room.

The bed she was sitting on was simple: a full bed with rich ivory sheets. She dragged her hand across the top, it felt almost like silk. The head board was a plain chestnut with a swooping curve to it. The room itself had numerous paintings and drawings of landscapes and humans. It was tidy; only a small dresser and desk accompanied the bed.

This was Garry's room.

She brought the covers to her nose and took in his scent. It was rustic, with a miniscule note of his nutty, oak infused cologne, mixed with his natural, well, Garry smell.

It was so like Garry to give his bed to Ib. He would do anything to make her comfortable, even sustaining a night on the lumpy couch.

She stretched her back and shoulders before climbing out of bed.

There was the strong aroma of coffee wafting through the entire apartment.

_Garry's up._

Sure enough, the wild violet hair peaked over a copy of _Moby- Dick_ at the kitchen table.

"Good Morning!" Ib took a seat across the book.

It slid down to reveal Garry's face. His eyes seemed a bit clouded, they didn't match his smile as he returned Ib's greeting.

"Would you like some coffee or something to eat?" He made a move to get up.

Ib put her hand out to motion Garry to stay put, "Nah, I got it."

She made a mug of black coffee and walked over to the window beside the stove. It was grey outside. The dominant dullness cascaded over the bare trees and the neighboring pond. She could barely make out the thin drizzle that sprinkled the landscape. Her eyes followed a inching raindrop along the side of the window when she heard the scratch of a chair along the floor.

Garry came to her side and let out a breath by her ear, "How'd you sleep?"

"Well… thanks. How 'bout yourself?" She looked over at his distant eyes.

"If I'm being honest- quite terribly."

"Why's that?" She felt her face fall with concern.

"I was pretty worried." He looked out at the increasing rain.

"About what?"

"You." He fazed his gaze back to her.

"Garry, what are you-" .

Garry abruptly cut her off, "Why did you lie to me?" He spoke the words slowly and precisely, his expressionless facial features twisted into a passionate face of unease.

"What do you mean?" She shifted her weight uncomfortably and cast her eyes to the ground.

"I saw your wrist. Why'd you hide it from me?" She could hear the pain in his wavering mumble. She could feel his transparent eyes seeking hers.

"I didn't want you to worry. My Dad didn't do it, though. I fell on it." She continued to cower behind her bangs.

"But he still hurt you." His enflaming voice begged for the truth.

"Yes." She sighed in defeat. "He got hold of my wrist and then he chased me. I got out through my window."

"Oh, God." Garry stared with wide, horrified eyes.

"He's never done anything like that before." She said truthfully.

"I know, it's just… upsetting to hear."

"Garry, there's nothing you could have done."

Garry simply gave a disturbed breath and quickly turned his tearing eyes away from Ib.

"Hey, listen- I'm okay, I'll just ice it and… and it'll be fine." She touched Garry's cheek, bringing his reddening gaze back to hers.

She brought him to her and he wrapped his arms around her waist. He rested his head in the crook of her neck. She could feel the warmth of his watering eyes on her shoulder.

_Don't cry Garry, there's nothing you could have done. _Ib repeated to herself.

"Hey, I'll have to call my Mom and tell her I'm with you. So you won't get arrested for harboring or whatever…" She joked in attempt to lighten the mood.

He gave a gentle chuckle. "You're right" his muffled laugh shook her shoulder.

They held each other in the mysterious ambience of the dreary morning.


	7. Chapter 7: Wander

**Thanks for the reviews! Here we go:**

~ "Hey! Garry! Wake up!"

Garry grudgingly opened his drooping eyelids.

"Here I am trying to read to you- at **your** request, and you fall asleep on me! How rude…" Ib huffed with light sarcasm.

That's right- Garry had asked Ib to read _Moby-dick_ to him as they both sat at the kitchen table. He loved her voice- it was velvety and serene.

"Sorry, Ib. I'm listening now." He rubbed his eyes.

She lay the book down on the table, "that's a lie. Why don't you take a nap or something?"

"heh, good point. I think I may do that." He chuckled.

He stretched and stood up, walking to his bedroom. Before going into the hallway and out of sight, he turned to Ib, "don't get too bored."

She answered him with scrunched face, "I'll try not to."

He collapsed onto his unmade bed and curled into the sheets- they smelt like her. He took in the tireless aroma of the deep floral and amber notes. He felt his lips curl into a smile.

He breathed in the scent-

In.

Out.

In.

….

His eyes blinked open. The glowing alarm clock next to him read '3:00 p.m.'

He'd been out for 5 hours.

_God, five hours? How's Ib?_

With a bit of urgency, Garry lifted himself from the bed and stumbled into the hallway.

He noticed it was dead silent.

"Ib?"

No answer.

He was about to panic when he spotted a slip of paper on the counter:

**_Garry,_**

**_Good afternoon, sunshine! It's about time you woke up. I got really bored, so I'm going out. I'll be back soon._**

**_Love,_**

**_Ib_**

He stared at the last two words and blushed. He was a pathetic romantic, he'd own up to it.

_I wonder what time she wrote this… Maybe I should go out and try to find her._

He threw on a grey sweater and headed out the door.

It wasn't raining anymore. The only evidence that there had been a storm was the puddles and the drops of water that fell from the building roofs and trees.

Although he knew that Ib would avoid the populated town square at all costs, as he usually did, he decided to search there first. For about an hour, he wandered around aimlessly with no sign of Ib.

**_Where could she have gone?_**

The dreary shopping center offered no proof that she had been there. He glanced into every store window with no Ib. He walked the wet sidewalks searching for the red eyes he knew so well. Still…

No Ib.

At this point, Garry began to grow anxious. He contemplated whether or not he should call for the police. He took a deep breath and reminded himself:

_She's independent. I know she can take care of herself. Come on, Garry. She's a tough lady- she's probably fine._

His subconscious answered back to the thought.

_Fine… But if she doesn't show up in a few more hours; find her._

He sulked back to his gloomy apartment building while pondering the different situations Ib might be in. Some gave Garry a dreadful fear, but he cancelled those ones with pictures of her drawing on a bench in the peaceful tranquility of the silent world.

He came to his room and with a wild hope that he would open the door to find a smiling Ib waiting inside…he twisted the knob.

Empty.

He sank down into the couch and threw his arms over his face. He listened to the quiet ticks of the clock, slowly swinging his leg to the rhythm. Not a minute passed when he suddenly shot up from his relaxed position.

_No... She couldn't be. _

He raced out the door to the place he knew Ib would be.


	8. Chapter 8: Outfield

**_I'm having a bit of a writer's block with the main story, so I opted for a Flashback:_**

Garry wandered up to the school fields. Ib always talked about how her friends and she would sneak out to play baseball if they had an open period during the school day. She'd tell him about the perfume of the freshly cut grass and the waft of the musty dirt.

He had finished his afternoon classes earlier than usual and decided to spend his free hour in the glow of the yellow rays. The day was dry, but warm. Garry could feel the sensation of the burning sun on his cheeks. The cicadas and birds crowded the air with sounds of Summer. Break was two weeks away.

A vast stretch of green appeared in front of him -some soccer fields, some baseballs fields, and one football field.

He stood underneath the canopy of the food stand, hidden by the shadows. It was exactly as Ib had described. Only the smell of grass and dirt filled his nostrils.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted three moving figures;

"Hey, Ib!" he heard a distinct male's voice.

One of the figures stopped (He could tell it was Ib). Before she could whip her head around, the boy who had called her name locked her head in his arms and began…(giving her a noogie?)

"Grr, Marcus! Cut it out, wah. Er… no, stop!" She shouted with annoyance, struggling to free herself.

Before Garry could move with intentions to pummel the kid to the ground, the third figure ran up to them: "hey! Guess what?!" (The boy released Ib at this point)

Garry squinted his eyes and tried to hear their inaudible conversation as they walked further and further away from him. He could hear closer voices to his right.

"I heard they're dating." Came a female's voice.

"Aw! That's so cute! I mean they've been friends for 13 years now…" another girl's voice.

"Wait, where'd you hear that, Kate?" came a third voice.

"I think Tom asked Marcus. Or maybe he asked Dan… Maybe she and Dan are dating, actually."

_WHO IS THIS "DAN?"_ Garry scoffed ferociously to himself. _NO ONE'S DATING IB, YOU IGNORANT GOSSIPS. SHE WOULD HAVE TOLD ME._

"Anyway, I wonder who that guy is…"

"what guy?" the two other voices inquired.

"You know that really hot one that comes to pick her up every Friday?"

_Are they talking about __**me**__? _Garry thought incredulously as he inched further under the shade of the overhang.

"Oh yeah!" they shouted in unison.

They carried on, but Garry made a quick getaway before things got too weird. Before retreating back to car, He glanced suspiciously at the two _boys_ throwing ball with Ib.


	9. Chapter 9: Return

~ The window screen was still popped out- lying next to Ib's gaping escape. She stuck her head through and listened for movement.

"Dad?!" She yelled through the vacant space. It was dark inside.

She waited a few minutes before swinging her leg into the house.

Her room was completely wrecked. It looked as if a tornado came shredding through, leaving the world outside unharmed. She felt a crunch beneath her feet and looked down to find shards of glass all along the hardwood floor. Her Father had destroyed her vanity mirror. Globs of blood trailed around the mess and led to her unhinged door.

She avoided the broken pieces of mirror and carefully moved the door, as to not cause it to fall.

The hallway and kitchen were no better than her room. Papers lay everywhere, some with blood stains on them. Cans and bottles still flooded the place and everything was disgruntled.

She crouched down to examine a broken picture frame that held a picture of her and her Dad- It was from a good time. It was of the family picnic she and her Dad had gone to when she was 8. She and her cousins found an old slingshot in the woods by her aunt's house. They found pebbles and berries to shoot at various things, including a young blue jay. When they shot the jay, it lay very still on the ground. Her cousin, Jack laughed at the victory and picked the jay up to show to the other picnic-goers. She and her two other cousins: Myrah and Johnny, laughed with him as they paraded through their relatives. Their triumph was met with disapproving stares. After showing her own parents and receiving the same response, Ib began to cry. Her father took her away from the rest of her family, into a secluded space at the mouth of the woods. He asked her why she was crying. She said she felt ashamed of what she had done. He gently wrapped his arms around her and told her how she was different from animals- she was a human being- capable of love and compassion. He told her that she should understand that killing for pleasure or anything besides basic survival is not a piece of humanity. He told her not to feel ashamed- she was learning. But from then on, Ib held that lesson from her Father very close to her. That was a good day.

She looked at a small puddle of blood beside the frame- she probably broke his nose yesterday or at least made it bleed. Maybe he bloodied his hand from breaking the mirror, too.

She looked around the scattered clutter and spotted what she was looking for. Her phone was crushed into pieces.

_Well, looks like I'll need a new one._ Ib thought with frustration.

She found the house phone beneath a heap of laundry in her Dad's room and dialed her Mom's number.

_3 rings:_

"Hello…?" an annoyed voice came from the other end.

"Mom?"

"Oh! Ib! hi, sweety."

"hi, uh, have you heard anything from Dad recently?" she wondered where he had gone off to.

"yes… (she hissed) he drunk called me last night and went on a wild rant about how he doesn't have respect or whatever. Of course, I hung up after 3 seconds of his shit."

"Oh, and you haven't heard anything else from him?"

"No, why? Is everything alright?"

"We got in a fight last night and he's not here. I'm staying at Garry's, is that alright?... y-you know, till he gets back?"

_There was a long pause from her Mother._

"You couldn't stay with Nat or Olivia?"

"No- Olivia's in New York and Nat's away too."

"eh, I don't know, Ib… Aunt Jackie isn't around?"

"Nope, she's in Montreal with Uncle Max."

"What about Uncle Chris?"

"No. He's away too." Ib was getting annoyed at this point.

"So there's NO ONE else?"

"No, Mom. I've already told you. What's so bad about Garry anyway? I stayed over his house on weekends all the time."

"Well, you're older now, Ib… And Garry's an older man… And…"

"Garry and I are best friends! There's nothing to worry about! Please, I just need you to say "okay" so he doesn't get in trouble or anything. Come on, please?"

"I'm still not okay with the idea of you two being alone… Do you wanna fly over here and stay with me?"

"No, I really don't. Can you PLEASE just give your consent! A lot of crap has happened and I TRULY do not need this right now." Ib was fuming.

"hmm… fine, but I don't like your attitude, missy. And If you and Garry…"

"Thanks, bye, Mom!" Ib interrupted, almost screaming her farewell. She jammed her finger on the end button and threw the phone across the chaotic dump.

She stomped to her mess of a room and retrieved a backpack of suitable clothes. She marched through the front door and went on her way back to Garry's.


	10. Chapter 10: Uncover

~ The window to Ib's room was wide open- the screen lay splayed out on the grass.

Garry's chest was throbbing from his sprint. He'd hoped to find Ib somewhere between his place and this Hell house, but with no luck. He carefully but swiftly climbed through the opening and felt a crack beneath his feet. He looked down to see bloody pieces of glass.

_I hope to God that does not belong to Ib. _A sickening twist engulfed his stomach.

"IB?! IB!" He called as he dodged around the horrific scene.

He lurched into the main hallway to see a chaotic mess of trash and gore. He gripped his hair and ground his teeth as he surveyed the ghastly disarray.

"IB!" He screamed, this time with overriding agony that caused the vessels in his neck to bulge out.

He heard a rustling from the bathroom beside the garage. A disgruntled and bloody Nathan Flynn wobbled into sight. Garry wasted no time in closing the space between him and the slob. He gripped the drunk's greasy, blood-stained collar and spit, "Where is Ib, you pig."

Garry was a pacifist, he could not hurt another. However, he knew he would break his long commitment if the time called for it.

"whoa… whatchya, get yer hands off me!" Nathan slurred, staring at Garry with glazed, red eyes.

"Tell Me!" Garry demanded.

"She ran off, it was too late when I got through that damn door!"

"No- where is she now?!"

"I dunno! I don't care either way!"

"Is this her blood?!" Garry shook the man and looked at the stains on the front of his shirt.

"No! That little bitch punched m-"

Garry threw Nathan up to the wall with brute force. Nathan swung his levitating feet around wildly as he tried to touch the floor.

"Don't ever call her that." Garry hissed menacingly as he stared into Nathan's terrified eyes with his unwavering cerulean ones.

Nathan trembled as he began to apologize, "sorr-"

"You are scum. Only cowards hurt their own daughters." He dropped the petrified man to the ground.

Garry walked out the door, not giving a second glance behind. He knew he would only find a sad excuse for a man, collapsed and staring wide-eyed at him.

He planned to call child services and report Nathan, but he wanted to confront Ib about it- that was- if he ever found her.

~Ib decided to take the long route back to Garry's. She was still shaken from the night before and didn't want to upset Garry by her own distress. She failed to keep Garry ignorant of what happened. She felt terrible. Her Dad was a good man, he just lost his way. A lot of people do.

"Ib! Yo!"

She whipped her head around to see Dan approaching her with a brilliant smile. The fair-haired boy never failed to brighten her mood on any occasion. He had met Ib a few years back when he transferred to her high school halfway through Freshmen year. Marcus told her Dan had a thing for her, but that was a while back, she didn't pay much attention to it.

He caught up with her and swung his arm around her shoulders.

"So, guess what I heard?"

"What?" she encouraged.

"Apparently, Marcus found himself a girl." He smiled deviously.

"Oh, really? Who?"

"Some freshmen, I think"

"You serious? How do you know?"

"Dead serious. Marcus's been hanging out with her a lot lately, haven't you noticed?"

"OH! Hannah Finch! Yeah, I thought so."

"Yeah; her!"

Dan glanced away from Ib for a second and scratched the back of his neck with his free hand.

"So, uh, you know that Garry guy, right?" he cast his caramel eyes back to Ib's.

"yeah, what about him?"

"Do you have something with him?" he nudged into Ib, jeeringly.

"N-no. What makes you say that?" Ib turned 10 shades redder.

"He's been around a lot lately and you tell me and Marcus about him constantly."

"Oh, I do?" Ib turned away from his incisive stare.

"Yeah, but I guess you're just good friends, right?"

"Yeah, just friends." Ib said the last words with audible disdain.

"Anyway… you up to play some ball? I mean- more like catch, 'cause Marcus's off with that freshmen."

"Hannah, you mean" Ib corrected him, shooting a joking glance,"Sure, to the park?"

"To the park." Dan grinned in agreement.


	11. Chapter 11: Catch

~ "Man! I almost forgot how great of an arm you've got!"

Ib smiled with satisfaction as she watched Dan run backwards to catch her long, hard throw.

"Hah, I almost did too!" she yelled to him.

The day was one of Ib's favorite kind of days. The Earth was damp and a chill set in on the green, dewy field. The sky was still an opaque grey- the kind that illuminates everything underneath it. The entire world was quiet except for the insistent birds that sang on in the silence.

Ib and Dan had been throwing ball for about an hour. They talked about how Dan had been promoted as assistant lacrosse coach for the middle school boys' team. Ib told Dan about her art show and of the other works there, she made sure not to mention her disappointment. They chatted about what they wished to do when they grew up- making no progress in their decisions, however.

Dan jogged over to Ib, sending sprays of dew from the grass as he approached.

"Hey, so I have to go to this "Ball"(he made quotations with his hands) thing and I have a plus one… Would you wanna come?" He blushed.

"Yeah, ugh, I mean… when?" Ib shifted her weight to her left hip.

"Two days." He squinted off into the distant.

"Dude, seriously?!" Ib closed the space between them and gave him a good knock on his shoulder.

"Ow, what?!" He gripped his shoulder and laughed.

"That gives me no time! I have to find a dress and all!" she raised her brows in mild frustration.

"Sorry, it was kind of last minute, I know, but can't you borrow something from Nat?"

"No, she's away."

"Ah, I would give you something of Jess's but… she's got boobs." He snickered.

Ib punched him again, "Wow, here I am being a nice friend and escorting you to some medieval ball and you insult my body!". She knew it was all good fun. Dan understood her insecurities and knew his limits. Jess was Dan's older sister, she and Ib were good friends as well.

He rubbed his shoulder again and gave a teasing grin, "Sorry, I'm done, I promise."

Ib let out a huff, "Well, I still need to get a dress. Whatever… Hey, what time is it?" She looked around at the growing shadows- it was getting late.

"Uh, 6:50. Why?" He checked his watch.

"Oh, crap! I gotta go!" She ran over and picked her bag up from beside a tree.

"What's the rush, dude?!" Dan raised his arms in a questioning manner.

She swung her backpack onto her back, still facing Dan.

"I-I have to go meet someone! Hey I don't have my phone, but I'll message you on Facebook or something!"

"Wait, why?! Did you do something? Hey, what time should I pick you up from your Dad's?"

"Umm, long story, I'll explain later! And you'll have to pick me up from Garry's, I'm currently disowned at the moment." Ib shrugged.

"WHAT?" Dan ran over to Ib, not letting her escape. "You're staying with Garry?"

"Yeah, I don't have anywhere else to go." She realized she never told Dan about her weekends with Garry. This sounded bad.

"AHA! SO YOU ARE-"

"NO! NO! It's nothing like that! Strictly friends- remember?!" she felt her face burning.

"Ahaha, yeah okay, Ib." Dan's suggestive sarcasm made her want to crawl under a rock.

"I really have to go." She hid under her bangs and turned her back to him.

"Give Garry my best, or should I say '**_your_** best'!" Dan laughed mischievously to himself from behind her.

"Shut up, Dan! You can go to your damn ball alone for all I care!" She gave a smug grin, as she heard his laughter fade.

"Ouch, that's rough, Ib… So 6:30 then?"

"Yeah, yeah."

She gave him a wave and carried on.


	12. Chapter 12: Smiling Doll

~ Garry paced back and forth, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead. **_Okay it's 7:26, I think it's time I call someone._**

He retrieved his phone from his pocket and clicked the '9'.

At that exact moment, he heard a knock.

"Yo, Garry! You up?" Ib's voice chirped from the other side of the door.

He chucked his phone to the ground and lunged for the knob.

He whipped the door open to see a disturbed and startled Ib.

"You okay there?" She walked cautiously inside, not breaking eye contact with him.

"IB?!" He threw his arms around her, feeling her flinch at the sudden embrace.

"What's wrong?!." She slowly wrapped her arms around his waist, dubious of his sanity.

"Your Dad didn't hurt you, did he?" He instinctively brought his hands to both sides of Ib's exasperated face.

"How'd you know?" She clutched his wrists, trembling a bit.

"I guessed. God… I thought you were dead." Garry felt her face, testing her actuality.

Ib took a deep breath and composed herself, "why'd you think that?"

"Because your Dad…"

"He wasn't there." She smirked reassuringly.

He kept running his fingers over the smooth contours of her face, staring with worried eyes.

After a minute of this, Ib started, "Alright, Gar. You need a drink." She chuckled and broke away.

He followed her into the kitchen, almost like an anxious puppy would its owner.

She brought down two mugs from the cupboard and turned to face him, "I have to find a dress."

"What for?" he leaned against the counter. He could tell Ib wanted to change the subject.

"I'm going to a gala with Dan."

"Dan? That kid you hang out with? Why?" He stiffened.

"Dunno" she filled the tea pot with tap water, "but, he asked, so I might as well go, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose so." He gripped the edge of the counter, his fingers were pulsing.

Why should he care if Ib went to a silly dance with this "Dan"? They were just friends; it was immature of him to be so angry about something so miniscule in importance.

Wait, no. He wouldn't. It was on the tip of his tongue. No. NO. "Do you like him?" he coughed out desperately.

Ib lit the stove and averted her crimson eyes to him with a look of apprehension, maybe discomfort or even annoyance. "No."

"Oh, okay. Does he like you?" He mentally slapped his forehead at the stupid question. He had to make everything awkward…

"Yeah, I don't know. Marcus told me he did, but that was a while ago." She placed two earl grey tea bags into the cups.

"Oh." Was all he could say.

There was a long pause where the only sound that filled the small kitchen was that of the boiling water.

"Why do you ask?" Ib broke the silence.

"You know, just want to make you uncomfortable." He attempted to cover with a grin.

"Well, you succeeded, ya goof." Ib gave a light chuckle.

"Good."

"Can we go tomorrow? It's in two days."

"Oh no, you don't mean… going into town, do you?" Garry gasped dramatically.

Ib played along, "I'm afraid so, it's the only way."

"Damn. Well I guess we'll have to. Where should we go?"

"I know a thrift shop not far from "Guthrie's"- we could go there." She brought the mugs to the kitchen table.

Garry made his way over, "Really, Ib?", he asked accusingly.

"What?" She took a seat.

"I know you wear really weird stuff, but I don't think a granny dress will do you any good." He judgingly looked her up and down before taking his chair.

"I do what I want; galas can suck it." She replied before blowing on her tea.

Garry simply stared at her- Her bangs were swayed and pushed aside, exposing her porcelain forehead. He cast his gaze down to the rings of the wooden table and felt his lips curl into a smile. He soon shook with a small snicker, not completely sure what he found so hilarious.

"What?" Ib looked up from her tea and smirked curiously.

Garry simply answered her with an increase in his laughter.

Ib began to shake with a small giggle herself. Both laughs escalated into uncontrollable howls. Ib's suddenly cut off into a small snort. Her hands shot up to cover her mouth as she stared wide-eyed with disbelief. Garry's chortle grew as he threw his own hands to his stomach and his forehead. Ib resumed her laughter with full force from the absurdity of her own snort.

He felt sorry for whoever lived above or below him- not because they were probably disturbed by the ruckus he and Ib were causing, but because they were missing out.


	13. Chapter 13: Daylight

~The early morning light streamed in through the open blinds. Garry surveyed the room with hazy eyes. The kitchen was still a mess from the improv stew he and Ib put together for dinner last night. Their stained bowls, tea mugs, and lemon candy wrappers lay splayed out on the coffee table in front of them. He was quite comfortable in his position; He lounged on the sofa, slumped and nearly laying down. His feet were resting in the space he cleared out on the coffee table. The best part of it all was Ib rested her head on his chest. She was facing away from him, but he knew she was fast asleep. He watched as her hair moved with the rise and fall of his chest. He took a stray piece of hair and tucked it behind her ear, repeatedly smoothing it out and marveling at its silkiness.

Ib squirmed a bit- readjusting her position. He quickly drew his hand away and waited for her to settle again. This time, she faced him- her face was placid, and light with peaceful sleep. The lock of hair had fallen back in front of her eye. Garry slowly brushed the strand away- A small smile formed on her lips. Garry trembled with a small chuckle; she was too cute.

The clock read 6:28. It was quite early, but there was no chance of Garry falling asleep again. He quietly and steadily lifted Ibs head off of him as he got up from the couch. He contemplated whether or not he should move Ib to his bed, but he recalled the firm "No" he had received when he offered her his bed the night before.

He tiptoed into his bedroom and picked up his cell- _One missed call from Erin._

Erin was his younger brother by 3 years. He was a nice kid- the best brother Garry could ask for.

Garry dialed back- _5 rings_

"Hey, Garry." A groggy voice came from the other end.

"Hey, did I wake you up?"

"Nah, I needed to get up anyway." Erin gave a tired cough.

"Alright… Did you call?"

"Oh yeah. Are you free today? Haven't seen ya in a while, bro." Garry could hear the smile in Erin's voice.

"I ugh, I'm actually taking Ib dress shopping today. You could come if you want, but it might be boring for you."

"Wait, Ib's staying with you?" Garry remembered the time he introduced Erin to Ib- He was 17 and she was 11.

"Hold up… what? I thought you guys stopped that like 3 years ago…" Erin's voice wafted with disbelief.

"Yeah, we did, but she needed a place to stay so…"

"Oh." Garry was thankful Erin didn't go on to announce any innuendos or what not.

There was a pause before Erin continued, "How old is she now, anyway?"

"16- Soon to be 17."

"Oh." Another pause, "well, if I'm not intruding, I don't have anything else to do today. Can I join you guys?"

"I thought you were going to LBI with Chris and Alan for break." Garry reflexively tried to dissuade his brother from coming; Garry was such a terrible person.

"Tomorrow. What's wrong, Gar? You want Ib to yourself?" He could hear a smile in Erin's prodding question.

"No. Just curious." Garry blushed.

"Verdict?"

"Yeah, you can come, I bet Ib won't mind. I think we'll head out around 11, so just come before then."

"Cool, see you then."

The line went dead.

Garry loved his brother, but he really wanted the day with Ib, and Ib alone.

Speaking of; He heard Ib yawn from the living room- she was up.

He quickly changed into a fresh pair of black pants and a striped long sleeve and made his way out to her.

She was propped up on the couch- half-awake.

"Good Morning." He crooned as a he joined her.

"Good Morning. What time is it?"

"About 7 now."

"Ah… early."

"Yup. Hey, is it alright if Erin comes along today?"

"Sure, sure." She gave an indifferent nod of her head and got up to make some tea.

Garry had hoped she'd say no- the very slim chance that it was. Oh well, he'd get over it.


	14. Chapter 14: Erin's Introduction

~There was a hard banging at his door.

"God, Erin! You wanna break my door down?!" Garry angrily sped to the pounding.

Garry was immediately bear-hugged by Erin once he managed to open the entrance.

"Good to see ya, Gar!" Erin's eyes squinted with wrinkles as he greeted Garry with a giant smile.

Erin made his way into the family and plopped down on the sofa. He gathered his blonde waves into his hands and let out a deep breath, "Man, I'm so happy break's here."

He turned to look at Garry, "How's school been?"

"Fine. A lot's been going on, but it's good." Garry sat down beside Erin.

"Hey Garry?! Do you know where I put my brush?" Ib's muffled voice came from Garry's room.

"I think it's on the ground in the closet!" Garry called back.

"How the heck did it get there?... Found it!"

"You almost ready to go?"

"Yeah, I just need to brush my hair!"

Erin shot Garry a side glance- he caught it.

"What?" he asked defensively.

"Nothing." He secretively looked away- egging Garry on.

"Tell me, you bum." Garry nudged his brother's shoulder.

"You two might as well be a middle-aged married couple." Erin raised his brows.

"Whatever, man." Garry huffed.

Ib emerged from the hallway, finishing a braid.

"Hey Erin! Haven't seen you in a while!"

Garry saw his brother look Ib up and down- his brown eyes gleamed with a hint of amazement. He didn't like it one bit.

"Yeah, it's nice to see you Ib!" He jumped up from the couch and brought Ib into much too long of a hug (for Garry's standards for a hug, that is).

"Alright, let's go!" Garry said a little too frantically, while tugging at Erin's shoulder.

The three of them headed out the door to the promised land of used clothing.


	15. Chapter 15: Knowing

**Thank you for all the reviews: Neighborsoflove- thanks for your truly thoughtful review**

~ Ib worriedly glanced at Garry for the fifth time. He wasn't quite himself today. He was dead silent the entire ride to the consignment shop. Not to mention, his knuckles were paper white as he clutched the steering wheel- Ib noticed from the backseat. _Maybe he's sick?_, Ib attempted to assuage her concern.

She scooted up closer to the opening between the passenger and driver's seat, holding onto Garry's headrest.

"Hey, Gar… you alright?"

"What-t? yeah, I'm fine." He tried to make eye contact with Ib while watching the road.

"Alright." She slumped back in her seat, not convinced in the least.

"Nah, Ib's got a point. You're looking a bit pale, bro." Erin nudged Garry's shoulder, flashing a smug grin. Was Ib missing something?

"Maybe I need to get some more sun, I don't know. But I feel… fantastic." He spat the last word a bit bitterly.

Ib bit her lip, averting her glance out the window.

"Ib- what do you think about age?" Erin peered back at her.

"Huh? What about it?" she cast her eyes to him.

"You know. Like what is "age" to you? Well, let me put it into a little visual; Do you think it would be wrong for two people who have a huge age gap between them to be together? Er, of course in light of what you think "age" is."

Garry shot daggers at Erin. Ib could see his eyes churned from serene seas to storming mavericks. Erin didn't seem to notice Garry's bottled fury, but Ib switched hesitantly between Garry's raged scowl at Erin to Erin's playful smile at her before answering.

"Well… I think direct age and direct experience are used to give a person a relative age. But I think mental growth and "age" are vastly different and separate from age. I guess what I'm saying is; a person who's 57 could be old in the sense of tangible age and they might have tons of experience, but that doesn't necessarily mean they know more about the world if they don't apply their experience to their knowledge. I'm wording this poorly. I mean- maturity is a leading part of age, right? And just because a person may be born before another doesn't mean that they will definitely be more mature that the person born after them. So I guess in that way, a person who may be younger by literal age is older than a literal older person."

"Wow- okay, sorry Ib. I'm not following." Erin scratched his head and gave her an apologetic look.

"Yeah, I'm terrible at articulating- I failed speech class freshmen year." She twiddled her thumbs.

"I think you hit that on the nose, Ib. Don't belittle yourself." Garry spoke up without prodding for the first time the whole ride. His eyes were peaceful again as he held Ib's in the rearview mirror.

~ They pulled up to "Niral's Consignment store". Only two other cars were parked in the driveway.

The interior was scattered with a variety of clothes dating from the 40's to present time. Ib loved coming and looking at all the different pieces that used to take part in the life of someone else. Something about the history that came with these clothes gave her a vicarious nostalgia.

She hurried to the front and leaned over the counter as she called, "Niral!"

A middle-aged woman wrapped in a vibrant Indian silk scarf emerged from the curtain behind the desk. "Ib!" She held out her lanky tan arms as she came from behind the counter to embrace Ib.

"Hello my dear, how are you?" She cast an immortal smile and she held Ib's hands.

"I'm great. How about you?"

"I'm very good. Anju and Prita have been asking about you- 'when is Ib coming to babysit again?'" She reenacted her children's pleas for Ib.

"Well, whenever you and Mr. Gupta need to get away for a night out, I'd be glad to come over." Ib offered honestly.

"Ah, you are a delight, my dear. So what are you looking for today? Anything special?"

"Umm, well I'm going to a dance with Dan, so I guess it's semi-important."

"Let's take a look." Niral began to lead Ib toward the back of the store, when Ib abruptly stopped, "Oh, I forgot to introduce you to my friends! This is Garry (Niral warmly took Garry's hand and offered her greetings) and this is Erin(Niral did the same for Erin).

Niral lead the three of them to the back of the store and sat them down on the lavishly beaded furniture, "I'll only be a minute"- she disappeared into the back.

A few moments later she returned with a mountain of dresses in her arms, "I think this will do." She gave a pleased smile.

Ib tried on many of the dresses, she modeled most of them for the other three, but some dresses she refused to be seen in. Most of them had sagging bust areas which Niral offered to fix, but Ib didn't fancy the styles anyhow. Some dresses were so big on Ib that she had to continually replace the sleeves back onto her slender shoulders as she modeled them. Some were drowned in frills or tulle that Ib's small figure was lost in all the fabric. When the mountain of dresses was reduced to only one, Ib doubtfully took the remaining white dress into the dressing room.

~ This entire process was quite entertaining for Garry. He admired Ib's endearing humor in the midst of failure. She would joke about the dresses fit or how a ginormous dress 'made her look fat'. However, Garry barely noticed the hideous dresses Ib tried on, her smile kept his thoughts elsewhere.

Ib cautiously peeked out from behind the dressing room door, "Okay, I think this may be the winner."

"Let's see it." Niral encouraged.

"She stepped out in a flowing white gown. Garry could honestly say that this was the first time he directly looked at any of the dresses. It hit to about her ankles, leaving her wiggling toes exposed. The skirt of the dress expanded out into a light encircling of white gauze. The sleeves were long and had the same material as the skirt- a transparent covering of white gauze. The top of the dress was very simple- with a normal cut that accentuated Ib's delicate waist.

Niral clapped her hands together with joy, "you look gorgeous, my dear! That's the one!"

Erin tilted his head to the side in silent awe. "Wow, that suites you, Ib. What do **you** think, Garry? Doesn't she look great?" Garry caught his mischievous smirk.

"You look beautiful, Ib." He felt red roses bloom on his cheeks. He gave Ib a candid smile before giving his brother an irritated side-glance.

"I could see you getting married in that dress, Ib?" Erin was relentless.

"Oh? To who?", Ib faced a mirror, while Niral adjusted the dress a bit.

Garry menacingly glared at Erin, who in return, lightly replied, "Well, there's this guy who wants to kill me presently- he's a good man at heart, I swear."

"Hmm, thanks for setting me up with some dude who likes to murder people." Ib laughed.

"I'll, uh, leave you two to do some last touches to the dress. Erin, let's go outside and give Ib and Niral some privacy." Garry hopped up from the couch and towered over his brother.

Garry and Erin walked out onto the sidewalk.

"What the **_Hell _**are you doing? ", Garry beseeched to his unmoved brother.

"Calm down, Garry. I'm just playing." Erin shrugged indifferently.

"What do you want? What are you getting out of all this?" Garry ground his teeth.

"I just like to ruin your life. I'm your brother, after all."

"No, you don't. You're not that kind of guy, Erin. Tell me the truth."

"I just wanted to prove something, alright?" Erin put his hands up defensively.

"And what is that exactly?" Garry crossed his arms advancing toward his brother.

"You love Ib."

"I-I do not." Garry turned away from Erin's keen stare.

"Oh yeah? Well I'm pretty damn sure you wouldn't be acting this way if you didn't. What is it? The age difference? Didn't you hear Ib in the car today? She's wise beyond her years Garry, and if you have the same idea on "age" as she does, what's keeping you?" Erin inched closer to Garry's face beckoning his brother.

"Are we children, Erin? Why are **_you_** acting this way? Do you need to prove something to me or to yourself? We aren't five." Before Erin could say another word, Garry sulked back into the store.


	16. Chapter 16: Truth

~ Garry stormed back into the shop, clenching his jaw. He looked around, Ib and Niral were nowhere in sight.

**_Good_****,** He thought, **_I don't want to ruin their day like Erin just ruined mine._**

He sank into the sofa again and crushed his palms against his temples. He didn't understand why his parents gave his brother the name, "Erin". Last time he checked, they were from German descent and "Erin" was a girl's name. Maybe they thought Erin was going to be a girl and then were too lazy to change it when he popped out. Garry couldn't help but chuckle at his harsh jokes. He quickly cut his humor short. He was being immature and mean. He loved his brother.

"Niral! Seriously!"

Garry raised his head to find Niral nonchalantly weaving out from the back curtain with an outraged Ib in tow.

"I will not take your money. That dress was made for you, my dear."

"Come on, please? You gotta make money somehow, ya know!" Ib pleaded.

Niral waved her hand at the bundle of money Ib extended toward her, "Keep this up and I'll find a new babysitter."

Ib reluctantly placed her bills back into her pocket before encircling Niral's plump waist with her arms.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure."

Ib broke away and took the dress off the hook. Garry stood, noticing his cue.

"Thanks again! And tell everyone I said hey!" Ib chirped as she backed toward the door, taking Garry with her.

Erin was already in the car, in the driver's seat with his feet dangling out the window.

"There you guys are." He lazily propped himself up.

"Move it." Garry grumbled as he swung Erin's legs to the passenger's side.

Erin compliantly moved the rest of his body out of Garry's way.

~ "Hey Garry?"

"mhmm?"

"Can we stop by my house?"

"…Do you want to?" Garry tried to compose himself.

"Yeah. I want to check up on my Dad."

"But-"

"I know, I know. You can save it. But Garry…(Ib scooted up closer to Garry) he **_is_** my Father."

~ The two brothers watched as Ib disappeared through the front door of her house. Erin watched with curiosity while Garry watched with sheer panic.

Ib refused to let Garry accompany her inside. Although his mind shrieked "protect Ib", He respected her independence; however, he gave her an 8 minute time limit before he could go after her.

Erin was the first to break the silence, "So what's going on exactly?"

"Ib's Dad… long story."

"Ah… Hey, uh, listen… I'm sorry I got you so worked up today. That was pretty cruel, now that I think about it."

"It's fine. I shouldn't have acted that way, so **_I'm_** sorry for that."

There was a long pause.

Erin scratched his jaw, "So what is the real reason, Garry? I'm not gonna judge-promise."

"What reason?"

"Don't play dumb. Why won't you consider you and Ib?"

Garry let out a deep exhale.

"She doesn't love me."

"So-…?"

"I can't do that to her, Erin." Garry cut in. "She's got her whole life ahead of her and I don't want to hold her back. She's strong and all, but something like that might confuse her. It would just be too damn selfish to tell her."

"It's not like you'll hold her back. You've got plenty of life left in you. You're not 40 or something. What? Do you think you're like a pedo or something?"

"Well kind of." Garry widened his eyes - criticizing Erin's ignorance of the obvious.

"Listen- I don't see anything wrong with you guys together. It would be one thing if she was creeped out by you or if she was a stupid ignorant person that falls into every trap in existence. But she's not either of those things. You guys have something special and I'm saying this with all seriousness."

"….I still can't."

"Why?!" Erin's hands shot up.

Garry turned away, "I don't know if I'd be able to take it if she didn't love me back, you know?"

"Well, I guess you gotta ask yourself, 'Is Ib worth taking that risk?'"

Garry opened his mouth, ready to answer when Ib paced out of the house, her arms crossed.

She swiftly got into the backseat, "He's not home. I looked everywhere. His car's not here either, so I'm guessing he went to get more booze or something. We can go back to your place now… thanks."

Garry put the car into drive and they were off.


	17. Chapter 17: Mother

~ "ugh." Ib tossed the phone back onto the reciever in annoyance. Erin had left an hour before; Ib was free to express her frustration.

"still no answer?" Garry came into view from the bathroom, running his hands through his violet waves.

"Nope. God, you'd think she'd pick up right away 'cause..." she trailed off, eyeing Garry sheepishly.

"'Cause what?" Garry prompted.

"Nothing. I'll try again."

"oh no, you don't." Garry lunged for the phone and collapsed onto the couch with a grunt. He smiled playfully at Ib as he hid the phone behind his back.

"Now you HAVE to tell me.", he raised his eyebrows.

"She just doesn't want me to stay with you, that's all." Ib struggled to snatch the phone from Garry, climbing on top of him.

He held the phone farther from Ib as he leaned back, "Hold on a sec! Didn't she get used to me by now? I mean, heck, Ib, it's only been 7 years!" He chuckled at Ib's insistent attempts to grab the phone.

"Yeah, she's fine with you, she just doesn't want me staying here with you... Alone. It's not important. Dammit, Garry! Give me the phone!" she launched her torso over his shoulders reaching out for the phone.

"What?" he sat up, gently setting Ib back on the sofa. "Does she think I'd try to make a move on you or something?" He couldn't help but sound astonished.

"Ew. Okay... Never say that again", Ib gave an awkward snort, "but yeah, I'm pretty sure she thought of something around those lines."

"Wait, Ib. I hope you know I would never-"

"I know you wouldn't." Ib's eyes shone with an honest glimmer.

"Now if you wouldn't mind", She held her hand out.

He gave a reluctant huff as he handed her the phone.

She dialed again:

**_3 rings_**

"Hello?"

"Hey Mom, it's me."

"Ah, I see you're still at Garry's." her voice was a bit harsh.

"Yeah, anyway... Have you heard anything from Dad? He's not home and I just want to know he's alright." she stood up and began pacing around the room, she could feel Garry's stare following her.

"Nope. I'm sure he's fine, though. Eh, don't worry too much about it."

"Okay... Just lemme know when you find him... Thanks." Swiftly, Garry jumped up from the couch and mouthed, "I want to talk with her."

"uh, hold on Mom, Garry wants to talk to you." she shot him an apprehensive glance.

"Yeah. Mkay, love you too." She shakily gave him the phone.

"Hello Mrs. Walsh." he walked off into the hallway.

Ib anxiously followed behind him, whispering through clenched teeth, "what the Hell are you doing?!"

Garry simply widened his eyes and shrugged his shoulders before entering his room and closing the door on a petrified Ib.

She jiggled the knob- he locked it.

What could he possibly want to say to her mother?!

She cupped her ear against the door in an attempt to hear bits of the conversation. She could only make out low mumbles and grumbles from Garry.

After about 6 minutes of waiting, Ib retreated to the couch and plowed face first into the cushions- defeated.

She remained there for what seemed an eternity. The lock sounded with a click and her head immediately shot up.

Garry calmly stalked back into view, switching the phone between his hands.

"Well, I wanted to make sure your Mother understood a few things about me-"

" you did not..." Ib interrupted with horrified eyes.

"I just told her that I would never do anything unethical that might hurt you. I wanted to make that clear."

"Well, you must have stretched that out a while because you were in there for quite some time." Ib's worried face began to thaw.

"yesss... Maybe more than necessary. But I also told her about your ball and I told her about your dress as well." He took a seat next to her.

"Wow, you guys really hit it off, huh?" she stuck her tongue in her cheek.

"Yup, I guess we did." he agreed.

"Ib?" He looked her straight in the eyes.

"mhmm?"

"You really are a unique soul."

She hesitated a bit, blushing slightly, "t-thanks, I can say the same for you... What's with the cheese all the sudden?"

"nothing... I just... I really admire your love for your Dad. Like even though he did that (he pointed to Ib's yellowing wrist) to you, you are determined to find him and make sure he's okay."

" aw, thanks, Garry." she reddened.

"And... I ugh... -" the buzzer broke his sentence.

"and i will finish that thought in a second" he grudgingly moved toward the speaker.

"yes?" he hissed into the microphone.

"yeah, hi, is this Garry?" a male's voice sounded.

"yes it is."

"hey, it's Dan... Is Ib there?"


	18. Chapter 18: Dance

**Hello**_** everyone- I just wanted to say thank you for all the favs and follows. I especially want to thank you for the reviews! They really make this fanfic worth doing my absolute best! I mention a song later on in this chapter (you'll know when) called "Bones" by Ben Howard. It's really a super rad song and I think it's vital to listen to it in order to get fully immersed in the story. Thanks again and enjoy.**_

~Ib rushed over to the speaker, "hi Dan. What's up?"

"Hey- I was wondering what color your dress is. I need to get a matching tie and all."

"oh yeah! Well let me see- hold on." she hurried to Garry's closet and retrieved the plastic covered dress.

"er, it's white, but it's kind of a creamish..." she turned to Garry who was still holding his index on the speaker button. "What color is this exactly?"

"hmm, I'd say a cream, but it's a bit whiter than that."

He turned to the speaker, "Hey Dan, why don't you just come up and look."

"Alright, thanks" Garry buzzed Dan in.

It took Dan a few minutes to reach Garry's apartment. During that time, Ib apologetically took Garry's hand.

"Sorry. I didn't know he was coming."

"It's fine. Can't go to a gala without matching colors." he gave a half grin.

She could tell he wasn't genuinely "fine" with it. She remembered the first time she introduced Garry and Dan. The tension was covert, but unbearably present. Garry was always pretty protective of her- maybe he picked that habit up after Guertena's exhibit.

Dan knocked on the door.

"hey" Ib greeted as she let him in.

"hey, Ibster." he pulled her into an awkward hug- mostly awkward for Ib, however.

~_**"Ibster"? What the Hell kind of a nickname is that? This boy...**_Garry thought, bewildered.

"You remember Garry, right?" Ib brought Dan over to Garry, breaking his spiteful thoughts.

"Yes, I do." Dan gave a smug smile, Garry didn't know why and he sure didn't like it.

"hey, nice to see you." he gave a gruff handshake.

"wait, how'd you even know how to get here?" Ib interrupted, placing her hand on Dan's shoulder. Garry was curious as well to know how this boy seemed to know where Ib was.

"The directory."

"Oh."

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Garry offered.

"Oh , nah thanks, I-I'm good." Dan fumbled.

"So here's the dress." Ib presented the mound of fabric.

Dan grabbed his phone and took a photo of the dress, "perfect, thanks. So I'll come by aroud 6:30 tomorrow?" he backed away towards the door.

"Yup, sounds good."

"alright, see ya." he opened the door, "bye Garry."

Garry gave a small wave as the teen slipped out the door.

"I have a task for you." Ib leizurely tiptoed over to Garry, a mischievious grin played on her lips.

"hm?"

"teach me how to dance." she looked down at her intertwined hands.

"Slow dance?" Garry prodded for coherence.

"yep."

"Didn't I already teach you?"

"yeah, but I was 10. And I don't think it's socially acceptable for a 16 year-old to stand on her date's feet."

Garry recalled the day when he and Ib had gone out for ice cream: it was dusk and the misquitos were beginning to gather around the streetlamps surrounding the little ice cream shop.

He watched as Ib happily finished off the last of her pistachio ice cream; he had scarfed his coffee icecream down already.

She hungrily licked her fingers and all around her mouth.

"wow, Ib. You finished that off. Anything else?" he brushed a few cone crumbs from her cheek.

"yeah- teach me how to dance." She confidently commanded.

"... Right now?" he glanced around at all the folks eating their ice cream.

"yes right now! Come on!" she urged, hopping up from her seat and pulling him along.

He shyly glanced around, recieveing a few curious stares.

"This is a good song. My Mom likes it a lot." Ib noted "Better Together" playing from the shop's speakers.

"I like it, too" He agreed.

She slid her little hands into his and looked up at his bashful face.

"Alright, I'm ready" She beamed.

"okay, so start swinging your hips a bit like this-" he began to sway, reservedly- still eyeing the interested on-lookers.

Ib tried to sync her rhythm with Garry's.

"there you go." he encouraged.

He continued to move from side to side, allowing himself to loosen up with each sway.

"Now just pick up your feet like this-" He adeptly stepped side to side, moving in a circular pattern.

He watched as Ib clumsily stumbled over her feet. He chuckled as she watched her feet with determination and concentration, still failing to match his steps.

"Here-" He lifted her up by her hands and gently placed her feet on top of his.

"Aren't I hurting you, Garry?" She looked up with concern.

"Not at all." he smiled down at her. She only came up to the middle of his waist then.

"That's true." He grinned, coming back from pondering the merry recollection.

"I'll find a song." She strode to the pile of CD's by the bookshelf.

"Have you ever slow danced before? You know, besides with me?" He asked cautiously.

"Nope. No one's ever asked me to dance."

This surprised Garry. He knew Ib went to school dances with her girlfriends, but he expected every boy to anxiously ask to dance with her the moment she stepped onto the dance floor.

What was wrong with them? Ib was endearing and strong. She could charm anyone into loving her. Her stubborn resolve made her impossible to sway. She had humor that could make the most vapid human being double over in laughter, that is if they weren't smiling already from her wild and unapologetic laugh. She noticed things no one else could. She observed the world in silence and took in all it had to offer. She listened to him, unremitting and completely. She challenged his values and philosophical beliefs in the best way imaginable. She humbled him everyday with her satisfaction and thankfulness with her ordinary life. She understood him in a way that belonged between only she and he. The only thing he managed to hide completely from her were his feelings for her. He loved her.

"Aha! Ben Howard!" She victoriously held up the silver CD with "Kingdom" handwritten on it.

"Nice Choice, my dear." He nodded, still in a daze.

She popped it into the CD player and hit the skip button a few times.

A lone guitar started the smooth ballad-

"I'll follow your lead." She took his hand in her left and placed her right on his shoulder.

He gingerly wrapped his arm around her delicate waist.

It took her a bit to fit Garry's movements, but she melted into the drifting riff and his guiding arm.

_**"And I know, I know, I know, you can never be alone. Cause it's just the bones you're made of."**_

She closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest. He could feel her faintly humming to the song.

_**"Oh you laugh like I'll be there to hold you always. Always here. I'm always here, always here."**_

He let his eyelids fall closed as well, letting the melody and the feeling of Ib take him over.

_**"And cover, cover all those boys that search for love. In your room.**_

_**Cause lust is just a child's game**_

_**And you, oh you were always late to bloom"**_

He focused on the warmth of her hand in his- it fit perfectly.

He breathed in and out, everything else in the world began to fade from his mind. The buzz of the heater and the rush of water through the pipes vanished. He only heard the bitterly wanting words of Ben Howard and Ib's soft breath.

_**"And you love like you've always been lonely."**_

Garry squeezed his eyes tightly together, he could feel them tearing up.

_**"Oh go far from this small town bar we know**_

_**Oh go, leave me with this bird and this song**_

_**Out here in the cold**_

_**Cause it's just the bones you're made of"**_

The agonizingly lonely and painful ending struck a pang in his pit.


	19. Chapter 19: Worry

~"Mr. Sommer! Funny seeing you here!" a bubbly blonde girl hurried over to the cringing lavender-haired man.

"Hi Meg." He smiled politely.

"I had an idea for a painting- So I'm going to paint a stage and then on the stage there will be a ballerina with a knife and then she'll be dancing with another ballerina except that one will carry a vase with knives in it." The girl took a deep breath, she had expended her lung capacity.

He tried his best to hide his disgust and dissaproval, "awesome. I can't wait to see it."

"Yeah. How's your break? Mine's been great so far! I went to the art museum the other day and..."

Garry mentally tuned out her drabble. He wasn't even slightly impressed with her fake intellectual thoughts or pretentious understanding of art.

He reflected on the day before: Ib saw his eyes were puffy and red once she pulled away from him.

"what's wrong, Garry?" her face was filled with distraught.

"The song is really moving." He said truthfully, but decided to leave out the largest part of the reason.

"It is moving. Thanks for dancing with me." She grinned sweetly.

"My pleasure." he gave a joking bow.

They spent the rest of the daytime out by the train station watching people rush by the tracks. He and Ib loved to create stories about the people they saw. He made up a tale about a woman in a red dress: her name was Caroline Richardson. She loved to eat lavender cookies by the seashore with her lover, Thomas. The two of them were writers, However, Thomas's books were more popular than Caroline's. Soon enough, his ambition blinded his love for Caroline and he waved his success in front of her jealous eyes. After 7 months of this, Caroline split with Thomas. She locked herself in a motel room doing nothing but smoking and drinking while writing a novel she believed would stump all of Thomas's. When she released the book, it was slow to gain recognition, but soon grew to be a critically applauded triumph. Once Thomas found out about Caroline's victory, he stormed over to her apartment and thrashed his fists against the door. Caroline did not answer- She had gotten on a train to New York where she planned to go further into her career.

They went back to his apartment and made banana pancakes together. They laughed and sang for most of the evening, but later had a serious discussion about Hitchcock's films.

Later that night, Garry checked in on Ib. After much debating, he convinced her to take his bed so she could "get some beauty rest for her big day". God, it sounded like she was being married. He kissed her smooth forehead before taking his place on the sofa and drifting off to sleep.

"... Mr. Sommer?"

"I'm sorry, Meg. What was that?" He blinked.

"I just asked what you thought of the Guertena exhibit."

"WHAT? There's a Guertena exhibit?!" He tried to calm his tense nerves.

"yeah, at the art museum. I said that before." Meg looked a bit offended.

"sorry- I must've missed that."

"It's fine. So, do you like his work? I love it. I think he's brilliant."

"yes. I think it's quite good." He growled a lie.

"I should get going, but enjoy the rest of break and I'll see you in class." He made a move to get away.

"Thanks! You too!" she squeeked.

Garry quickley checked out of the grocery store and drove to the blue colonial house on Pinesap Drive.

Before he could knock on the door, it opened to reveal his beaming mother.

"Hi honey!" the short, greying woman hugged her son.

"Hi Mom." he squeezed her tightly. Although he only lived a few minutes from his parents, he barely got to see them due to work schedules and socials. His parents were very supportive of him and Erin and gave the two brothers generous amounts of money as gifts. Although Garry did not like having his parents aid him in such ginormous ways, he still took the money. He knew his parents were proud of the money they earned from their hard work and determination. He could recall all the countless times his father would show Garry and Erin a picture of their Grandfather and hear the words, "My Dad was a poor fisherman. We were lucky if we had enough food on the table for all 6 of us." Garry understood his parents pride and took the money out of thanks and obligation. However, he donated most of it in order to sustain his sense of integrity.

"You ready to go?" he held out his arm.

"Yes. Let me just grab my bag." Lilah Sommer took her purse off the coat rack and linked her arm in his, shutting the door behind her.

~ Ib heard the jingle of keys then the click of the deadbolt.

She stretched her neck to see Mrs. Sommer scoot through the entrance.

"Hi Mrs. Sommer!" she glided over to the woman and embraced her.

"Hello, Ib! How are you, honey?" she squeezed Ib back.

"I'm awesome. How are you?"

"I'm doing just fine." She winked.

"hey, I didn't know what hair pins you wanted, so I got a bunch of different ones." Garry came next to Ib as Mrs. Sommer made her way over to the tea kettle.

"these'll do just fine, thanks" she looked through the bag, pleased.

The three of them sat at the kitchen table drinking tea as Mrs. Sommer told her stories of a robbin nest in her attic and Mr. Sommer's fishing feats.

Ib loved to listen to Mrs. Sommer. She was so unasuming and soft spoken. She had a quiet manner that made a person lean in to hear more. She didn't boast about her success or perfection, she simply narrated her life and offered her listeners a sweet and humbling memory of hers. In a lot of ways, she felt like Ib's second mother. For one thing, she agreed to come over and help Ib with hair and makeup for the gala. Since her Mom was far away in Louisiana, Mrs. Sommer stood in. She was a person who gave reason and patience a voice... Much like Garry did.

Speaking of Garry; He was unusually quiet. He was lost in thought and was delayed in answering his mother's questions. Ib didn't know exactly why. He was fine until he went out.

She looked over at him, he gave an involuntary flinch, still spaced out. Did something happen?

"Oh, it's 4:40! We should probably get you ready, Ib." Mrs. Sommer stood up from her chair.

"al- right." she answered, still eyeing Garry with worry.

Mrs. Sommer caught her gaze and gently shook her sons shoulder, "Is everything okay, sweetie?"

"huh? Oh yeah. Ready Ib?" he turned and gave her a shaky smile.

"mhmm."

~ Garry leaned against the counter, holding the bridge of his nose. He could hear Ib and his mother's muffled conversation coming from his bedroom.

Guertena's exhibit was back. What if it found some other way to lure Ib and him back into its chaos?

He shook away his dark thoughts.

A nap would probably do him some good.

He laid down on the sofa and listened to distant footsteps from the stairwell.

Step.

Step.

Step.

... He sank into a dreamless slumber.

His eyelids flickered letting in little flashes of light. He blinked a bit more and tried to focus his sight.

Ib's smiling face was mere inches from his.

She added minimal makeup. Only a bit of blush added to her already rosy complextion and a small line of eyeliner made her crimson irises more prominent. She wasn't much of a makeup kind of gal. Yet another thing he admired about her.

"hey sleepyhead. Take a look." she spun in a circle, sending the white gown in a whirl.

"and look what your mom did!" she turned around and pointed to an intricately braided bun, her bangs still hung free.

"You look great!" he propped himself up, mentally punching himself for not picking a more deserving word.

"Thanks." There was a knock at the door, "that must be Dan."

She hurried to the door and let the sweating boy in.

"I-Ib... You look really nice." His eyes widened with silent amazement.

"Thanks, you look dashing as well."

Garry lazily stood up from the couch.

"Hey, Dan. How's it going?-" Garry's mother came out of the kitchen, "oh, er, this is my Mother, Lilah Sommer."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Sommer." the teen grinned.

"pleasure meeting you. Well, aren't you a handsome young man."

The youth blushed, "thank you, ma'am."

"We should probably get going." Ib glanced at the clock.

"oh yeah. Have fun and be safe." Garry took on a father role, he couldn't help it.

"we will! We'll probably be back around 11:30 or so. Bye!" she turned to Garry's mother while exiting, "thanks again for helping me, !"

And off she went to the gala.


End file.
